Archdiocese Donated To Defeat Maine Gay Marriage

Louis says Archbishop Robert Carlson used $10,000 in discretionary funds to support the successful effort to prevent legalization of gay marriage in Maine.

[CJE]

Tax the churches! They interefere too much in politics!

[9KDNcObWPL7EuDeG E]

Wise decision on the part of Archbishop Carlson!! Bravo

[Rose]

Tax them like any other business.

[Jorge]

Is there evidence of such act?

Jorge de P.Rico

[Ye Olde Fart]

The Bishop of Phoenix is reported to have made $50,000 available for the defeat of same-sex marriage in Maine. This information was made public on a local TV newscast this evening.

[Jorge]

Louis says....?????

[Selecia Jones- JAX FL]

TAX them if they want to play like this. The do not deserve to be shielded any longer.

[Jorge]

Selecia Jones- JAX FL wrote:

TAX them if they want to play like this. The do not deserve to be shielded any longer.

What happen to the trip you had tickets for?

Jorge de P.Rico

[Jorge]

Ye Olde Fart wrote:

The Bishop of Phoenix is reported to have made $50,000 available for the defeat of same-sex marriage in Maine. This information was made public on a local TV newscast this evening.

Who reposrted it? Louis?

[pauline 2]

pull their tax exemption. Speech may be free but why do we have to put up with the big money spenders buying their point of view.

keep the Churches out of politics.

[Edmond]

I love when the church does stuff like this. With every action they take, more and more jaws are dropping across the country, in amazement of such blatant oppression and injustice. The public opinion is turning, and some of it is precisely BECAUSE of ridiculous behavior such as this.

Keep acting like asshats, reverends! You're helping our cause more than you realize!

[unimpressed]

Churches should not be allowed to contribute financially on political issues unless, at minimum, taxed on those funds. Period. Someone needs to push to change this law.
This also has to be addressed in the next ad campaign for gay rights. Reveal the blatant bending of law by the churches to impose their theocracy on the rest of us. Today it's the gays, who knows what issues they'll go after next.

[Curteese]

9KDNcObWPL7EuDeGE wrote:

Wise decision on the part of Archbishop Carlson!! Bravo

I guess there are no poor of needy in St. Louis. The fact that that old queen in a pretty bishop's dress can syphon off hard stolen money, oops, hard earned money, given by little old ladies who live on cat food, to support this repressive out of touch "religion" and support their homophobic agenda...sorry for the run on sentence, but I'm too angry to be careful. Somewhere in St. Louis tonight some poor person is going to die for lack of shelter or food because that monster sent off that money to fight civil rights. It is on his soul to answer to God on his death.

[You Betcha]

I agree with everyone. Churches do need to have their tax-exemption status revoked if they're going to engage in politics. As much as the conservatives try to deny it, the separation of church and state doctrine does exist in our Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." When you deny someone their civil rights and your defense is because that's what the Bible says, you are in turn injecting/establishing religion into the issue. If conservatives want to be the crusaders of the Constitution like they claim to be, they need to realize that nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about marriage, so therefore, they are the ones who are wanting to redefine marriage as the union between a man and a woman. We should follow Canada's lead and have marriage defined at the federal level as "the union between two consenting adults." That will slash the homophobic conservatives' argument that gay marriage will lead to people wanting to marry their animals and plants (because we all know cats and dogs and flowers can sign a marriage contract). Then they talk about the "sanctity" of marriage - last I checked with the Bible, divorce is an abomination and yet we allow that. Sounds very hypocritical to me, but I expect nothing less from a bunch of closed-minded and brainwashed Bible-thumping hicks and bigots. Keep religion out of government and keep government out of my bedroom!

[Jorge]

Churches are non profit organizations.

Jorge de P.Rico

[aRodeojock]

Jorge wrote:

Churches are non profit organizations.

Wow, you are correct there. And as non-profits, to keep their tax exempt status they're not supposed to be involved in politics. They're breaking the law and lying about it.

[Jorge]

aRodeojock wrote:

<quoted text>
Wow, you are correct there. And as non-profits, to keep their tax exempt status they're not supposed to be involved in politics. They're breaking the law and lying about it.

Hi, sweety:

How's everything going for you? I asked you a question yesterday? What happened with your trip.

On other more trivial matters (lol); these actions must be denounced in the correct legal forums.

Jorge de P.Rico

[Jorge]

aRodeojock wrote:

<quoted text>
Wow, you are correct there. And as non-profits, to keep their tax exempt status they're not supposed to be involved in politics. They're breaking the law and lying about it.

Sorry, pal (jock); I mistook you for another person. But, my "stance" remains as stated: anyone attempting agaisnt basic, fundamental rights ought to be brought and denounce in the proper, legal and international forums.

Jorge de P.Rico

[Disgusted American]

9KDNcObWPL7EuDeGE wrote:

Wise decision on the part of Archbishop Carlson!! Bravo

oh yea - because Maine doesn't have POOR people, or under funded soup kitchens or homeless shelters, or a surplus to Help the Poor pay thier astronomical Heat bills this winter.....so, this winter, when youhear of a Elderly person Freezing to death due to lack of funds...think of the Catholic church.

[Ziggy on High]

Jorge wrote:

Churches are non profit organizations.
Jorge de P.Rico

They call themselves non-profit, yet they seem to bring in more profit than any billionaire in America. Thant hardly counts as non-profit.

Churches and religious organizations are businesses. Except they don't have to play by the same rules as other businesses. They don't pay any taxes and they don't have to adhere to any ethics laws.

Just because what they are selling is less tangible than a car, oil, or a pack or cigarettes does not make them any less of a business. They sell "souls" and false hope. They are in the retail business.

Now, if they want to lobby in congress, they have the right to do that... Provided that they are paying their taxes and follow all lobby laws.

They just don't want to follow the rules. They want to take over the country and make it a theocracy. THAT is a big problem.